Barding

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Barding.

For the culinary practice of adding fat strips to a roast, see barding and larding.

Barding (also spelled bard or barb) is armour for horses. During the late Middle Ages as armor protection for knights became more effective, their mounts became targets. This was an effective tactic for the English at the Battle of Crécy in the fourteenth century where archers shot horses and heavy infantry killed the French knights after they dismounted. Barding developed as a response to such events.

A sixteenth century knight with a horse in full barding.

1 Components
2 Mounted warfare
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Components

The plate defense guarding the horse's face was called a chamfron. 14th century examples seem to be rare, with little refinement, using round pierced defenses for the eyes. The chamfron was better developed in the 15th century, when horses were more fully armoured in plate.

The crinet, another portion of horse barding, defended the horse's neck. It was made with overlapping plates from the top of the neck down to the saddle, held together either with leather strips or by sliding rivets. It is thought that thin metal was used for these plates, perhaps 22 gauge. Chainmail was often affixed to the crinet and wrapped about the horse's neck for additional protection.

The flanchards, used to protect the flank, attached to the side of the saddle, then around the front or rear of the horse and back to the saddle again. These appear to have been metal plates riveted to leather or in some cases cuirboille armour (which is boiled or treated leather sealed with beeswax or the like).

The peytral is the armor that was used to protect the chest of the horse, while the croupiere protected the rear.

Another commonly included feature of barding was protection for the reins. This could be metal plates riveted to them as seen in the images here, or chainmail linked around them. Cutting the reins was another effective way to disable the knight's control of his mount.

This 15th century depiction of a tournament shows fully caparisoned horses

Barding was often used in conjunction with cloth covers known as caparisons. These coverings sometimes covered the entire horse from nose to tail and extended to the ground. It is unclear from period illustrations how much metal defensive covering was used in conjunction. Textile covers may also be called barding.

Surviving period examples of barding are rare; however complete sets are on display at the Wallace Collection in London, and the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

[edit] Mounted warfare

It is a modern misconception that knights were unable to move or defend themselves without a horse. However, mounted knights were limited to single handed weapons by the need to hold reins. So a knight who lost his horse was at a disadvantage against the larger weapons used by infantry soldiers such as the halberd.